Mr. Ashish Bijawargi was a successful financial professional in Mumbai with a passion for volunteering. One day in 2012, when he was looking for an organization to volunteer with, the Learning Space Foundation logo in the Warli tribal art style caught his eye. He began volunteering within existing programs, like the English teaching program, but the energy and passion at LSF inspired him to do more.

       Currently, Ashish works predominantly on the Early Childhood Education initiatives at LSF. Although the Department of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) of the Indian federal government provides universal preschool and mother & child health care services, there are many disparities in the system, particularly when it comes to education. Education and preparation for school are not the main focus of these centers, especially in rural areas. This leads to a deficiencies in performance once children reach school age.

       LSF is working to address these deficiencies through an innovative early learners program designed by Ashish Bijawargi. LSF works directly with the people assigned to work in Anganwadis (preschools) by the government, training them in effective methods for early childhood education. The curriculum involves scheduling routines, free play, development of fine motor skills, and other components that serve to enrich the life of the child and prepare them for success in primary school and beyond. As part of this process, LSF renovated 273 of these Anganwadis making them child-friendly to better facilitate learning and interaction.

       In order to continue this work over the COVID-19 pandemic, LSF organized an action-oriented summit to mobilize teachers and allow them to continue educating their students through home visits. LSF plans to continue this valuable work with Ashish’s help in the future, by integrating the entire district.